1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a telephone, and in particular, an automatic answering telephone set and an individual answering method for an automatic answering telephone set.
2. Background of the Related Art
Automatic answering telephone sets provide various functions in order to ensure privacy of their users and provide convenience in a multi-user household. For example, a background art automatic answering telephone set divides recording regions for each user, and assigns secret numbers to the divided recording regions. Accordingly, a caller records a message to a wanted user, and the user selectively listens to the message by inputting his secret number or code.
FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing an automatic answering operation of a background art automatic answering telephone set, which is provided with a single automatic answering button. When one of the users pushes the automatic answering button, the automatic answering function is set. First, it is presumed that the automatic answering function is set in the automatic answering telephone set, and that users A, B, and C are all absent.
When a specific user, for example, the user A is called (S1), an answering message is transmitted to a caller under the control of a control unit (S2). Here, the answering message may indicate “push ‘1’ to leave a message for user A, push ‘2’ to leave a message for user B, or push ‘3’ to leave a message for user C,” or the like.
According to the answering message, the caller inputs ‘1’ for user A, and leaves a message for user A. The message is sequentially recorded at the recording region for user A among the recording regions divided for each user A, B, C (S4). Thereafter, user A can input his secret number (S5), and listen to the message of the caller (S6).
However, it may happen that users A and B are absent and user C is at home, among the plurality of users A, B and C living together. In this case, whether or not the automatic answering function is set, the telephone set rings to notify user C of a telephone call regardless of whom the telephone call is intended for and even if user C does not want to be inconvenienced by calls that are not intended for him/her.
If the automatic answering function is not set, user C can answer the call or not answer the call. If user C answers the call, user C is inconvenienced by calls for users A and B and further inconvenienced by taking messages from the caller on a piece of paper and user C has to remember to give the message to user A or B. However, is user C decides not to answer the call, he/she may miss telephone calls intended for him/her.
If the automatic answering function is set, user C can answer the call or not answer the call. Again, if the call is not for user C and user C answers the call, he/she is inconvenienced and if the caller wants to leave a message for user A or B, user C has to write the message and remember to give the message. However, if user C decides not to answer the call, the generic answering message is played to the caller, and the caller can leave a message.
If user C is curious to find out whether the call is intended for him/her, user C has to listen to the generic answering message and wait until the caller starts to record the message. If user C recognizes the caller's voice, user C can stop the recording by answering the call. However, such call screening may sometime irrate the caller, especially if the call is important, and user C is inconvenienced by waiting until the recording process starts. Moreover, if user C does not recognize the caller's voice, he/she may not realize the call is intended for him/her.
In addition, a caller informed by user C that user A or B is absent may want to leave a message for user A or B, instead of speaking to user C. However, the background art automatic answering telephone set is not provided with a function of converting a speech mode into a message recording mode, and thus the caller cannot record a message. As described above, user C has to write the message onto a piece of paper, and remember to give the message to user A or B.
On the other hand, although the individual answering mode is set in the automatic answering telephone set, user C may not be able to answer the telephone because he/she is busy. Even if the caller calls user C on urgent business, he/she has to leave a recording message according to the answering message, instead of speaking to user C who is at home.
As described above, the background art automatic answering telephone set is not provided with a function of distinguishing the absent users from the users who are at home and ringing the telephone appropriately. Nor is it provided with a function of converting speech mode into message recording mode. As a result, the users must willingly submit to privacy invasion and inconvenience when living in a multi-user household.